New Earth Captives
by MuseandMe2
Summary: Chakotay and Janeway find danger and romance after a routine away mission on a deserted planet is interrupted by familiar enemies.
1. Chapter 1

Janeway sat in her quarters and stabbed at the food on her plate. Her vision blurred as she swirled her spaghetti around in a light red sauce. The clinking of her wine glass brought her out of her reverie as she looked up to find Chakotay gently banging his fork on the rim.

"Captain, are you all right?"

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. With a small smile, she said, "I'm sorry, Chakotay. I'm afraid I'm lousy company tonight."

Chakotay wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I've had worse."

She picked at her bread and watched it crumble onto the table. "I'll bet you have."

He leaned forward. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing." She shook her head and dropped the roll to dust her hands.

Chakotay studied her for a moment as she watched the stars streak past the ship as it continued on its long journey back to the Alpha Quadrant. It had been an eventful few weeks after a hostile takeover by Seska and the Kazon. An event he still felt very much responsible for, especially since Seska and Cullah had so far escaped justice and always would since Voyager was speeding away from Kazon space, never to return again. "I'm sorry, Captain."

Her blue eyes turned to him. "What?"

"I'm sorry for what happened. I should have known, anticipated, what Seska was planning."

"Are you part Betazoid?"

Chakotay grinned. "Not that I'm aware of. I'd have to have a talk with my mother."

Janeway smiled and leaned across the table to capture his hand. With a gentle shake, she said, "It's fine. I'm just decompressing and I'm afraid I don't do it very well. You may have noticed that by now."

Chakotay covered her hand with his other one. "It's called relaxing and you should let me show you how to do it properly sometime."

She pulled away from him and turned back to the window. "Perhaps one day I will."

"Good. Then how about tomorrow? Harry mentioned an M class planet not far from here. You're not the only one who needs rest. I think the entire crew could use a sojourn and some shore leave right about now."

Janeway rubbed her chin. "We just got back on board. I doubt anyone is eager to leave the ship again. Besides, we have too much time to make up."

"But we have decades to get there. A few days won't change our timeline. And we have no idea what lies ahead of us. A tired captain and a tired crew need to be recharged for whatever it is we meet next, friendly or otherwise."

She turned in her chair and met his dark eyes again. She watched them sparkle in the candlelight as he grinned and awaited her answer. Finally, she said, "You know, I don't know what I did with my first officer before you. I feel like I could tell you any trouble I had in the world and you would find a simple answer for it. It's very comforting."

"A First Officer's first duty is to protect the captain. I'm simply doing my job." He fingered his utensil. "Now I could have the Doctor mandate that time off with a simple suggestion that it's about time for him to update your medical records. So, what do you think about that planet now?"

Janeway's eyes narrowed. "I take back your gold star. They'll be a report instead in my log."

Chakotay smiled and grasped his wine glass and took a drink. Raising it, he said, "As long as there is a navigational change in that log as well, then my work here is done."

Janeway threw her napkin on the table and stood up. "I've had enough mutinies for one month, Chakotay. I don't need this."

He lost his smile and placed the glass back down on the table as he stared up. "You need that shore leave more than you know, Captain."

"I know I don't need your threats, Commander. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Chakotay slowly rose and placed his hands on his hips. "I'll excuse you this once because I know this isn't you. You're overworked, overtired, and you will meet me at 1400 hours tomorrow when we arrive at that planet for our personal away mission. I know how much you like to be in charge so I'll be ready for you to lead me."

"I am in charge!" Janeway snapped. Chakotay stared at her open mouthed and she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." She walked away from the table and paced for a few minutes in front of the couch. "I'll meet you tomorrow in the transporter room. Tell Harry to adjust course to this planet of yours."

Chakotay put a hand to his ear. "Excuse me? I didn't quite hear that order."

Janeway gave him a deadly glare. "Don't push it or you may not like the next order I give."

His smile returned and he bowed. Shaking a finger at her, he said, "1400 hours. Be there or I transport myself to sick bay and have a conversation with our resident hologram."

She watched him leave the room and couldn't help a small laugh that escaped from her lips as she shook her heads and began to ready herself for bed. For some reason, she just knew she'd need a good night's sleep for whatever tomorrow's adventure held.


	2. Chapter 2

The next afternoon, Janeway arrived outside transporter room three in her uniform ready to go. Sensors had indicated an unpopulated class M planet with vast meadows in the valley of a small mountain range with several bodies of water running down and through. It seemed to be just as Chakotay had said; the perfect escape for an Indiana farm girl.

As the doors slid open, she spotted Chakotay dressed in his civilian clothes holding a picnic basket. He took one look at her official attire and said, "You have got to be kidding me."

She crossed her arms and stepped forward. Her eyes swept over his linen slacks and loose shirt. "Commander, you and I have not scouted the land yet and deemed it safe for all aboard. That is standard procedure, is it not?"

"Sensors show a standard class M planet with a temperate atmosphere in this hemisphere holding at a standard 20 degrees Celsius. Perfect weather for a picnic. Not even a breeze to ruffle our blanket."

"Unruly inhabitants? Wild animals? Any indigenous plant life that might be harmful to humanoids?"

"Harry's checked over every bit of the area. I'm afraid it's just you and me, Captain."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Not even an ant to mess with my sandwich?"

Chakotay brought his face close to hers and tapped his phaser. "I'll eliminate any threat to you or your tuna fish that I see. First Officer's pledge."

Janeway stepped back and waved a hand at the transporter pad. "Then, after you."

He shook his head. "No, you change. I'll wait. You have five minutes before I have the chief beam you down, dressed or undressed."

Janeway gave him a warning look and he bowed his head. "I'll be right back." Pointing at the chief, she demanded, "Belay that or any future order he gives you."

The young woman nodded. "Aye, Captain."

A few minutes later, Janeway and Chakotay stood on a grassy knoll ankle deep in sweet smelling grass. She breathed in the crisp, clean air and smoothed her sundress as it ruffled in the warm light breeze. "I thought you promised me no wind?"

Chakotay shrugged. "Wasn't there when Harry checked it this morning."

Janeway folded her bare arms and said, "Well, see that he finds himself on your disciplinary report. What else have you two missed down here?" She pulled out a tricorder and started to scan the perimeter. All sensors showed no evidence of life save for innocuous insects and plants. "Well, coast is clear."

"I told you so." Chakotay walked towards a bubbling stream. Swinging the basket, he said, "What about here? Would you like to eat now or walk a bit further and see what else is out here?"

Janeway made another sweep and studied the results. "I'm hungry now so let's eat and then we'll work it off exploring later."

"Sounds good to me."

Chakotay spread out the blanket and the food. Five minutes later, he and the captain sat eating by the bubbling waters. He grinned as moment by moment her shoulders relaxed and their conversation grew easier.

"What?" she finally asked, popping a piece of fruit into her mouth.

"What?" he replied.

"You're staring at me. Just hand me a napkin and I'll get rid of whatever it is."

Chakotay laughed. "You're perfect, Captain. It's just good to see you come back."

"Back from where?"

"The edge. It feels good, doesn't it? You can thank me later." He stood up and dusted the crumbs from his pants.

Extending a hand, he helped her up and watched her do the same. They gathered up the remains of their lunch and Janeway slapped her combadge, "Janeway to Voyager." Her badge chirped and then crackled. She hit it again. "Janeway to Voyager. Come in."

She turned her head to Chakotay who mirrored her worried expression. Before they could speak, a roar sounded and several streaks appeared in the sky. Chakotay instinctively grabbed his phaser and put his arm around his captain. "Get down!"

"No!" She slapped her badge again. "Janeway to Voyager. Come in, Voyager!"

The roar overhead lessened as the streaks dissipated between the clouds.

"What the…" Chakotay said.

A hiss sounded and Chakotay threw the captain to the ground and covered her with his body. A long primitive spear landed and stuck in the ground right in front of their faces. The wooden staff was in flames and it quickly ignited the grass around them. Chakotay jumped up and grabbed the back end and yanked its metal tip from the ground. Throwing it down, he stomped the flames out and then pointed his phaser as he looked around for the responsible party.

Janeway also scrambled tossing the blanket over the flaming bit of grass and patted it out. She looked up at Chakotay and watched him look and listen for whom or what didn't want them there.

Suddenly, the ground shook and Chakotay crouched down next to her and placed a hand against her back. Janeway fingered the phaser in her hand and waited. The ground trembled severely and Chakotay jumped up as a loud war cry sounded. Several humanoid life forms rushed from the surrounding area, some on foot, but most on horseback with long hair, feathers, and beads flying from their scantily clad bodies as they rushed toward the Captain and the Commander.

Chakotay began yelling to get down again as arrows began to fly all around them. Chakotay scrambled to engage the attacking army with his weapon as did the captain and their phaser fire flew. Both he and the captain knew they hit their marks as cries sounded and stunned bodies fell to the ground.

The barrage slowed and a female voice called out. Chakotay stood with Janeway by his side and scanned the tribal group which appeared to be completely female. His eyes landed on a woman more ornately dressed than the others. She yelled another order and the horses were immediately reigned in. Weapons were lowered and those on foot halted in place.

Chakotay aimed his phaser at the woman and the tall blonde girl gave him a cool stare as her icy blue eyes appraised him. Her porcelain skin was untouched by the planet's warm sunlight. A small crop top covered her upper body while an equally small leather skirt just covered her lower abdomen and skimmed over her upper thighs. Matching leather moccasins covered her feet as she sat strong in the stirrups. Her simple clothing was ornately beaded with colorful stones and her face and body were devoid of any makeup or coloring. A long headdress of feathers tangled in white blond hair which spilled across her shoulders and down her back. Her horse matched her coloring in its paleness and decoration and chewed at his bit as he pawed the ground in front of them.

"You violate my home," she said.

Chakotay gripped his weapon. "Our apologies. We are unfamiliar with your planet. Tell me, is this how you greet all of your guests?"

The woman remained expressionless. "We do not permit them."

"I see that." Chakotay lowered his weapon and caught the woman's smirk as he did so. "Don't mistake that for a sign a weakness," he said. "I will not allow you to harm us."

The woman's face darkened. "Allow?" In an instant, the woman dismounted from her horse and grabbed Chakotay's throat. Her hand found its mark and she lifted him up from the ground. "Males allow nothing."

Janeway's eyes widened as she aimed her phaser at the woman and ordered, "Put him down, now."

Chakotay clawed at the iron grip and gasped, "Our weapons are superior. She will hurt you if you harm me."

"Not as badly as I can hurt her." Despite her words, the woman slowly lowered Chakotay to the ground. He tried to pull away but she kept him close. "You are painted. You are from a rival tribe."

"My tribe comes from a place that is a long way from here. I doubt we've ever met."

"You're a Skywalker. We've met."

Chakotay's eyes widened as she threw him away from her. Massaging his throat, he said, "They are my people's ancestors. My tribe has lived for centuries in the Alpha Quadrant."

"Alpha?"

Chakotay nodded.

"Then you may be useful yet."

"Useful?"

The woman signaled to her clan and the women responded with a chorused yell. As they fell into formation, the leader remounted her steed. She looked between the captain and the commander and finally settled on Chakotay. "You are the only painted one here. There are more of your tribe on your ship?"

Janeway stepped forward. "My ship."

The woman's icy stare returned. "Commendable but it does not give me the answer I require. And you are not painted. If you do not want to lose your ship in the next moment, I suggest he answers, with truth."

Chakotay matched her gaze. "I am the only native on this trip. I was given the gift of the name of Chakotay. And you?"

One of the females stepped forward and pointed a long spear against Chakotay's chest. "Her name is Morgan."

"Silence! You will not speak for me!" Morgan waved her hand and the others captured the outspoken girl and pulled her back. Returning her attention to Chakotay, she said, "You are a male to be dealt with. And you shall be. Personally. By me." Morgan turned her horse away and joined the circle that had formed behind her while several of her tribe stood guard.

Chakotay looked at Janeway who eyed the women and said, "I'm not sure you'd enjoy that, Commander."

"Obviously, they are more than a primitive culture. They weren't on this planet when we got here. They must be space faring. Voyager may be in trouble."

"Silence!" Morgan looked back and gestured to two large females. Instantly, several spears were placed against the captain's neck forcing her to raise her chin. "Disarm them."

"No," Chakotay said. Raising his phaser, he said, "Put down your weapons or I will fire."

A murmur went up among the circle as another female stepped forward. Her red hair was also dressed with feathers but her low top and short skirt were black in color matching tall boots that rose up her long legs. Her footwear and dress were similar but unlike any of the others in material. As she drew closer and raised her eyes to his, a chill went through Chakotay's body.

"Hello, Chakotay," Seska said. "Captain. Miss me yet?"


	3. Chapter 3

After handing over their weapons once Seska displayed her own, Chakotay and Janeway found themselves led away into the mountain range. While most of the tribe followed the upward trails, they were forced to take a small path heading down towards the river. As they approached, Janeway noticed the river was wider here with a fiercer current. A waterfall fell from a large cliff just above them. With long spears pressed at their backs, the captain and commander were herded to the edge where Janeway stopped short.

"I know they teach aquatics at the academy, Captain," Seska said. "I hope you at least remember your strokes. I know Chakotay does and he's very good at it."

Chakotay ignored her leering glance and held onto the captain's arm. "Where are you taking us?"

"To your new home. The elements in the mountains here will keep you safe from prying eyes."

"You mean sensors can't penetrate it?" Janeway said.

Seska slapped her. "I'm in charge now! Not you! Don't you dare speak to me!"

"Don't touch her!" Chakotay grabbed Seska's arm to take her down only to be stopped when he felt the blade of the spear tip pierce his shirt and the skin of his back. "Argh!"

Janeway turned and pulled him to her. "Stop it!" Turning back to Seska, she said, "What do you want from us?"

Seska smiled. "Just your presence is gift enough for now. Now Captain, swim!"

Chakotay nodded and wiped the blood from his back as Janeway gripped him around the waist. Holding her dress up with her other hand, she slowly waded into the current. She meant to help him in his injured state but he steadied her as she struggled in the strong undertow and rocky bottom. Finally, she gave up the fight to keep her thin dress above the water and let it fall. Almost immediately, the fabric sucked up the swirling water and threatened to pull her down.

Chakotay grabbed her as she stumbled by the waterfall and he bent down and swung her into his arms. Almost immediately, they were both shoved to the side and through the heavy water. He stumbled onto dry land into a cave just behind the falls. She panted into his face as water dripped from both of them. He looked down and asked, "Are you okay, Captain?"

A loud crack sounded and Chakotay fell to his knees with a cry. Janeway tumbled out of his arms and she scrambled to get up in the dirt.

Seska faced them with a deadly stare. "Get up. Now."

Janeway helped Chakotay rise as he held his sore back. They both stared at Seska who nodded at one of the female guards. "Open it."

"Open what? Where are you taking us?" Janeway said.

Seska waved a hand as the female placed her palm on the rock face. It shimmered and disappeared revealing a small room with a single cot and a small bath. The room was completely dug out of the cavern with tiny slits above allowing a small bit of sunlight in. "Your new home."

Chakotay looked at her. "Why? What do you want from us? Why are you keeping us here?"

Seska strode over to Chakotay and brushed his cheek. "You left me for dead."

"As did you. That planet you left us and the crew on wasn't exactly Risa."

"I still gave you your life."

Chakotay studied her. "Exactly how do you still have yours?"

Seska grinned and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm so glad you missed me, Chakotay. But, it won't save your life now."

"What do you want?" he asked.

"What I always want."

"You already have our ship," Janeway said.

"Do I?" Seska smiled. She drew close to Chakotay again and ran another finger down his cheek which he quickly shied away from. She walked behind him and bent down to kiss his back. "There. That should make you feel better." Then, with another hard shove, she knocked him into the small room.

She glared at Janeway. "A tomb fit for a Starfleet captain. Don't ever say I didn't honor your burial traditions."

Janeway smiled. "Yes, I know how our Earth traditions come up on the Cardassian reading lists."

Seska growled and practically launched the captain into the room with Chakotay. He caught her as Seska seethed with rage. "The two of you deserve each other! Enjoy your eternity while it lasts!"

As the rock face shimmered again obscuring Seska and the others, Janeway and Chakotay rushed forward and found themselves met with nothing but impenetrable stone. Chakotay grunted and Janeway heard more pain than frustration in his voice.

Laying a hand on his shoulder, she said, "Chakotay, stop. Turn around."

He pounded on the rock a few more times before gasping for breath. He allowed her to turn him gently. There, she saw the faint bit of blood on his damp shirt that had colored the cloth before the water had removed most of it. As she raised the shirt, she found red welts from the spear that had been used to strike him. Just below was a two inch slit where the tip had punctured his skin.

As she gently fingered his wounds, he flinched and she said, "How bad?"

"I'll live." He took her hand but she pulled away and grabbed his waist again. "Turn around. I want to make sure there is nothing else there."

"Why? I don't think there's a med kit here."

Janeway walked to the bath and quickly figured out how to operate the flow. Crisp river water flowed out and she sighed. "This is river water. We can't even drink it."

"We'll have to if we want to stay alive until Voyager finds us."

"Voyager is probably under the control of the Kazon again." Taking a deep breath, she said, "If we ever get out of this, I am never leaving my ship again."

"We'll get out of it and we'll get home."

She sighed again and rubbed her face. "I'm beginning to think I was deluded to believe we'll ever see Earth again. We're just one ship out here with too many enemies. Even our own crew."

"Seska wasn't part of your crew. She was part of mine. My mistake. We'll get home. Never stop believing that."

She drank in his smile and kind words before she stood up. Wiping her wet hands on her damp dress, she said, "Well, this is our home for now." Patting her stomach, she said, "And since I don't see a kitchen, I'm glad you packed us a good lunch."

Back on board Voyager, Harry stared at the Kazon weapon pointed at his face. "Your orders, sir?"

The Kazon bared his teeth. "Find your quarters and stay there."

Harry nodded. "Yes, sir." He turned and practically ran to the living space he shared with Tom Paris. As the doors opened, Tom yanked him inside.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tom demanded.

"Trying to stay alive," Harry answered.

"Did you find out anything?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, I can run really fast."

Tom shoved him away with a sigh of disgust and pounded the wall. "Didn't we just do this? Didn't I just get this ship back for us?" He pounded the walls again.

Harry straightened his uniform and said, "Calm down." As Tom continued his tantrum, he added, "Please calm down. I think I might fare better out in the halls."

Tom spun around. "Where the hell did they come from?"

"Space?"

Tom swung at him and Harry ducked and found his way to the bed where he sat down.

"This isn't funny, Harry. The Captain is down on that planet. She doesn't even know what's happened to us."

"I'm pretty sure she'll figure it out when she and the Commander don't get transported back."

Tom gave him an incredulous look. "You think this is funny?"

Harry pointed to his chest. "Do you see me laughing?"

Tom sat on the bed across from him and ran his hands through his short blonde hair. "We have to do something."

"What?"

Tom glanced around the room until his eyes fell on the replicator. Grabbing Harry, he pulled him from the bed and said, "You're the communications officer. Communicate." He walked Harry to the console and said, "If the Captain and Commander still have their badges…"

A wide grin spread across Harry's face. "Then, they're about to get a hail."


	4. Chapter 4

Janeway gently dabbed at Chakotay's wound with her damp dress. He flinched a few more times before she finally said, "I think that's as clean as it's going to get."

"Thanks."

He turned and watched her shiver in the cool air. Glancing up, the light had waned a bit and he knew they must be nearing the end of the planet's day cycle.

Janeway followed his gaze and said, "It looks like the evening has begun."

"Yes."

"I wonder how Voyager is doing." She ran a hand over her face. "I should have been there. I never should have left my ship."

Chakotay laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's my fault. I asked you to come here."

"Well, as punishment, you can stay here for the rest of your life which shouldn't be very long without food or water."

He patted her back as he watched her shiver again. He guided her to the bed which was dressed with one linen sheet across a hard mattress. They sat down and he took up a corner of the cloth and began wrapping her in it.

"No," she said. "We'll need to keep that as clean as possible in case I need to dress your wound."

"I'll be fine. You on the other hand will not be if you catch cold."

Janeway shrugged. "What will it matter?"

Chakotay placed a hand on her arm forcing her to look at him. "This isn't you. Why are you giving up?"

She sighed. "Because I'm tired of fighting ghosts, Chakotay. That woman was dead on my bridge a few weeks ago and now she's back. I can't fight that."

"Like hell you can't."

Janeway rubbed her neck to ease the building tension. "We jettisoned her body into space. The Kazons do not have superior medical capabilities." She paused and took a moment before adding, "But others do."

Chakotay thought himself and said, "The Vidiians."

She nodded. "You read my mind, Commander."

Chakotay rose and paced the room. "But that makes no sense. Why aren't we in a lab being harvested for parts by now?"

"Because they're probably too busy with the crew. Voyager was the jackpot and our spared lives were the price they paid to Seska to get her to lead them straight to us."

Chakotay's face darkened. "And now she wants to play cat and mouse."

"Or she gets her revenge by watching us starve to death. Harvesting was apparently too good an end for us."

"You always were an insufferable know it all, Janeway."

Chakotay spun around and Janeway jumped up letting the sheet drop away. Seska stepped out of the tub and walked over.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Chakotay asked. He glanced around the room but saw only rock each way he turned.

Seska grinned. "Don't try and figure me out, Chakotay. You'll never do it."

"What do you want, Seska?" Janeway asked. "You can't even let us die in peace?"

Seska shook her head. "Of course not, Captain, where would the fun be in that?"

Chakotay grabbed Seska's arm. "What do you want?"

Seska stood on her tip toes and moved her lips to his ear. Chakotay screamed as she bit down and drew blood.

He shoved her away and said, "Is there a point to all this bloodletting?"

Janeway drew close. "Of course there is. Tell me, Seska. What do the Vidiians want with his DNA? Or is it you repeating your old tricks again?"

Seska displayed her bloody teeth. "Patience is a virtue, Captain."

Chakotay grabbed Seska with both arms and held her firm. "Stop talking in riddles and answer me! You and I played this game before and we will not play it again!"

"Not even for your captain's life?"

"No. Not even for that."

Janeway stepped back. Her Commander had been replaced by his warrior. She held her breath as Chakotay and Seska stared one another down.

Finally, Seska said, "What a pity. And you would have made such strong virile offspring."

"I'll never want children with you."

Seska licked the blood from her lips. "Who said they would have been with me?"

"What? What do you mean by that?" Chakotay's eyes darted with Seska's. Suddenly, her eyes shimmered and her form shifted as his grip slipped. She faded until she was no more.

"It was your idea, Tom."

"You're the communications guy, Harry! You didn't think to encrypt the transmission? You did graduate the Academy, right? You didn't just stow away on board this ship?"

"Yeah it's been the adventure of my lifetime." Harry gave Tom an ugly look as they both sat stewing in the brig. "But I guess I'll look at the bright side. At least I'm stuck with a former prisoner. You want to share any special knowledge about disabling this?" He waved a hand at the force field.

"Yeah, don't touch it. It stings."

Harry sat up. "We're not going to break out of here?"

Tom shook his head. "Not now. It's too soon."

Silence fell until Harry said, "In my defense, how exactly was I supposed to know they got smart? They're Kazon. They don't know about encryption. We're not talking the same level of security knowledge here."

Tom popped Harry in the back of the head. "They had Seska's guidance for months. You did graduate the Academy, right?"

"Shut up." Harry crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Besides, Seska's dead. She's not involved in this. We need to get to the captain and the commander. If they're still alive and the Kazon haven't gotten to them."

Tom matched Harry's cross posture. "Happy thoughts, Harry. Happy thoughts."

Chakotay stood with his arms outstretched where Seska had just been. He stared at the empty space before saying, "What the hell?"

Janeway walked in front of him. "She transported away, Chakotay."

"She felt funny." Chakotay glanced at the captain before he walked over and grasped the bed. Yanking it into the center of the room, he jumped on top and banged his palm against the slitted rock face above them. Bits of dirt and rock tumbled into his face and he shook it off.

Janeway jumped up and grabbed the sheet and handed it to him. He covered his nose and mouth and continued hammering with his fist and knuckles. Slowly, the rock cracked and Chakotay began to hand her chunks of it which she discarded onto the floor. When he had a large enough hole, he stopped and looked down at her. "Ready to go scouting?"

She nodded and gave him her foot. Using his hands, he lifted her up and she scrambled out into the evening air on top of the ledge. She shivered and looked down. "Coast is clear." She gave him her hand and Chakotay jumped. The rock gave way and he ducked as debris poured into the room.

Janeway scrambled to a sturdier ledge and called down, "Wait. I'll find a rope or something to help lift you out."

"You'll never pull me up," he answered.

Her face peeked over the edge. "You can climb, can't you? I think the vines over there will work. Hang on and let me secure a few to this tree."

Chakotay listened to the rustling of the leaves as the captain worked to rig up a lever to free him. He jumped up a few times but the rock kept crumbling each time he grasped at it. Eventually, he had made it as far as he could to the edge of the room. The wall inside was too smooth to give him much of a foothold and the bed was too short to give him the lift he required.

Finally, a thick rope of vines came flying into his area. The captain appeared again and she said, "Can you use that to scale the wall?"

Chakotay wound the vines in his hand and held them tight as he climbed the smooth rock face. As he neared the top, the captain grabbed him. His momentum carried him forward and he accidentally took her with him as he rolled. As he raised his chest, he looked down and apologized.

She encircled his waist and said, "Are you okay?"

Chakotay felt her hands near his hips and he felt his heart involuntarily race. Steadying his breath, he cleared his throat and said, "Yes, I'm fine. Are you?"

She smiled. "I'll be better when all of your weight is off of me. I thought you may have aggravated your back."

Chakotay quickly drew himself all the way up and put a hand down to help her up. "No, I'm fine."

She rose and his pull placed her face close to his. Chakotay stared down at her for a few moments until she said, "Are you sure you're okay? Your hands are bloody."

Chakotay stepped back and looked at his raw skin. "I'll be fine, Captain." He took a deep breath and scanned the darkened landscape. He couldn't see anything in the blackness of the night.

"We still can't contact Voyager," she said. "Although I think someone tried to contact us."

Chakotay looked down at his badge. "Residual feedback?"

She nodded. "I think so. Probably an alert when the Kazon stormed the ship."

Chakotay looked around again and said, "This is just not right."

Janeway walked up next to him. "You keep saying that. Can you be more specific?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. All I can tell you is none of this is right. Seska isn't right and escaping this cave was too easy."

"I agree. But, as for Seska, if the Vidiians put her back together again, she may not be as she exactly was. They can't be very experienced in Cardassian anatomy."

"Maybe."

Janeway's brow furrowed. "Shape shifter?"

"Perhaps," he said. "But we haven't encountered any beings like that here."

"Not yet."

He stared at her. "And even if we did, how would they know about Seska?"

Janeway matched his puzzled look. "Has Voyager been scanned lately? Did Ensign Kim's reports show any sensor anomalies in the past few days where someone might have infiltrated our databases?"

Chakotay shook his head again. "None that I'm aware of. He didn't report any." He looked into the night again. "A native tribe like the one we saw today would camp, yet there are no fires. They couldn't have traveled on foot and horseback far enough away for us not to see their encampment lights from here."

"Yes and I'm very suspicious of any kind of tribe traveling they way they were yet upkeeping their own space ships? With what? And how? What culture lives so primitively yet exercises warp capability?"

Chakotay raised his hand. "My people live very simply, Captain, yet we are just as space faring as Earth citizens."

Janeway took his hand in hers. "Chakotay, that's not what I meant. You're part of a Federation. You have space stations around your planet. An infrastructure that is accessible to space travel even if you're not one with all the technology you possess. We scanned this region of space. There was nothing here. These people should not be so advanced. It doesn't make sense."

Chakotay's eyebrow raised and he pulled his hand away. "One with technology, Captain? You sound like the Borg. And since when can't simple people not be part of an advanced society?"

She put a hand on her hip and brushed the other one across her face. "That's not…I'm not saying this very well, am I?"

"No, so I would probably stop talking now."

Her embarrassed look dissipated as she caught a grin starting to spread across his face. As his dimples appeared, a touch of anger flew through her and she pointed to the cave below. "Commander, you couldn't get out of a hole without my help! Now let's find out what were dealing with and find a way back to our ship!"

Chakotay chuckled as she stormed off before following her out into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

Janeway and Chakotay scouted the local area as best they could in the darkness. After several passes, she stopped and said, "There is nothing here."

"Spoken like a technologically advanced citizen of Earth."

Janeway glanced over. "I'll appreciate Mother Nature all you want, Commander, once we're back on our ship. But there is nothing and no one here. And there should be."

Chakotay put his arm on her shoulder and said, "You're right, Captain, but I don't think we're going to figure it out tonight. Let's get some sleep and we'll start fresh in the morning."

She looked around and said, "I'm not sure I know how to get us back. Sleeping in that cave on a filthy bed is less than inviting."

"Terrans." Chakotay walked away and disappeared into the woods.

Janeway crossed her arms and took a deep breath to calm herself. They were stranded, off the ship, and they needed each other to get back. She had to get her sensitivity under control even if she did realize he was trying to alleviate her worried state with his jokes.

Chakotay reappeared with a handful of branches which he quickly stripped of their leaves. Janeway watched as he formed a soft bed out of the largest ones. She shivered in the night air as she watched him finish before removing his shirt. Giving it to her, he said, "Here."

She stared at it as he held out. "What is that for?"

"Blanket, pillow, night shirt. You choose. I recommend you use it as a night shirt, Captain, since I can tell you're cold."

She stared at his naked chest. "And you're not?"

"We natives can take the natural elements."

Janeway bit her lip and cocked her head. "Chakotay…"

He smiled and stood up. Wrapping the shirt around her shoulders, he pulled her towards the bed. "I promise I'll stop. You need to get some sleep. I'll take the first watch. Good night, Captain."

She hesitated until he pushed her towards the makeshift bed and made sure she was comfortable. As Janeway pressed the shirt to her body, she relaxed in the warmth it had stolen from his body heat. She found its musky scent comforting as she watched him settle under a nearby tree before she drifted off to sleep under the starry sky.

Janeway awoke the next morning to warm bright sunshine. She pulled the crumpled shirt from her body and jumped up. The tree where she had last seen the commander was empty. There was no sign of him. She whipped around several times but did not see him. "Chakotay!"

She cursed under her breath and chided herself for sleeping so soundly. She rushed to a high ledge and peered out. There, by the river, she spotted him. His muscles glistened in the warm sun as he yanked on a makeshift fishing rope. Scanning the neighboring area, she still saw nothing and no one except miles of forest, meadows, and natural habitat.

Rushing down the dirt path, she made her way towards him. Her breath grew heavy as she descended from the summit. As she approached the water, he caught sight of her and smiled. Bending down, he pulled up a stick with several freshly caught fish speared on it. "Good Morning," he said.

She stopped and returned his shirt. "You let me sleep."

He laid it aside and replied, "You needed it, Captain."

"You've been up all night?"

He shook his head. "No. I slept near where you were. There's no one here except us as far as I can tell."

"As far as you can tell? There were plenty of someones here yesterday and a vengeful ghost that imprisoned us in a cave."

"Yes, but I believe our welcome party was transported in."

Janeway looked at him. "What?"

Chakotay motioned for her to come closer to him. He waited until she stood beside him. Leaning down, he whispered, "What do you see?"

Her eyes swept across the grass fields. The blades stood up straight across the land with tiny pockets of flowers interspersed throughout to add a bit of color to the greenery. Another rocky area, possibly another mountain range, was barely visible in the distance. "I see grass and another distant mountain range across the fields. Same as before."

"Yes, now look behind you."

Janeway turned and saw the same except for the flattened trails and grass near the battle areas where they had first encountered the warrior women. Discarded weapons and bits of feathers littered the once perfect landscape.

"What don't you see?" he asked.

A realization dawned on her. "I don't see an exit."

"Exactly."

Janeway considered his words and then looked up at the nearby mountain ledge. "But they traveled up the mountain while we went down to the cave. They must live up there."

"I thought they would too so I walked up there last night."

Janeway frowned. "Without cover? Not smart, Commander. And? What did you find?"

"And there were no footprints, hoof prints, or any other prints past the turnoff where you and I were separated from them."

She shook her head. "But that's impossible. There has to be something or someone there."

"Go look for yourself." He pointed at a large boulder. "There is nothing past that point. They either vanished when they got there or…"

"Or it was a beam out sight."

Chakotay nodded as she walked away. He watched her scout and then pace along the riverbank before she returned. He lifted up his stick with the fish and said, "I'm going to scale these. Let's eat before you get an even bigger headache."

She nodded and watched as he quickly cleaned the fish with a discarded spear tip and laid them aside. She collected several large river rocks and created a circle. Ripping up some grass for kindling, she laid it in the center of the ring. She fingered her loose hair that, between captivity and outdoor sleeping, had escaped the tight crisp bun she normally wore. "Do you need any of this?"

Chakotay grabbed a large rock and held the spear tip against it. "I doubt it. The grass should be dry enough." He flicked the tip against the rock and it quickly sparked. Within moments, he had a small fire roaring in the ring.

"Nice work, Commander. You've improved since the last time we were stranded on a desolate planet together."

Chakotay gave her a wry smile. "Captain, it was the desert. We had no kindling there."

"Except my hair. I'm glad you practiced so I won't be bald by the time our stay here is over."

Chakotay dropped a large slab of rock into the fire. Carefully laying a fish atop it, he watched it sear in the flames. "You know you can catch your own breakfast from now on."

She smiled and knelt down. "Thank you for cooking, Commander."

"Well, I did want to survive the morning without food poisoning."

She sighed as she sat down on the ground and looked up. "I'll let that pass, Commander, for now." Slapping her communicator, she tried to hail the ship again but still heard only silence. "I wonder what's going on up there."

Chakotay studied her worried face as he began flaking the cooked meat. "Resilience and courage just like down here." He handed her a piece. "Here. Eat. First Officer's order."

Janeway thanked him and they continued their meal in silence.

"Human!"

Tom stirred as the butt of the Kazon gun hit his shoulder. He put his hand up as he rolled up and said, "Okay, okay."

The Kazon snarled. "Get up. This is your stop."

Tom rustled his hair and blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He saw Harry at the end of another rifle before he repeated, "Stop?"

The Kazon smacked his arm again eliciting a yelp from Tom. "Out! Now!"

Tom and Harry exchanged glances before both of them scrambled up and let the Kazon lead them out of the brig. They walked into the hall and joined the other small groups being herded along the same way.

"Why am I experiencing déjà vu?" Tom said.

"Silence!"

Tom, Harry, and the other crew members were taken to the transporter room. As Tom materialized in his new environment, he saw the rest of the crew milling around what appeared to be his tropical resort holodeck program.

"They took us to the holodeck? We could have just walked."

"I don't think this is the holodeck," Harry said.

"Then where are we?"

A young blonde woman dressed in a sarong and bikini top sauntered forward and held out her arms. "Welcome! Welcome to your new home."


	6. Chapter 6

Days passed into weeks and then a few months as Chakotay and Janeway explored and finally settled on the desolate planet they had been marooned on. They had initially scouted several miles but had found nothing but more greenery, forestry, and meadows. They did find a small lake hidden amongst the trees not far from their spot by the river and several edible plants that Chakotay had identified.

After their days of traveling, he always brought her back to their spot by the river. They needed to be at their last known coordinates in case Voyager did return or was able to communicate with them again. The river provided them with a steady supply of fresh food and water that Chakotay caught and cooked and she stored in the caves above. The caves also lent them shelter when the occasional storm blew through which wasn't often just in case.

The weather had been fairly mild holding at a nice temperature during the day with cooler evenings. Janeway believed that the temperature at night had been dropping and Chakotay agreed. He studied several animals they encountered as they went about their days and remarked that their fur was thickening, no doubt as protection against colder weather to come.

Janeway was grateful for Chakotay's tribal upbringing. Despite her training at the academy, she admired how he always knew how to put an extra bit of comfort in their day or make the basic survival skills a little bit easier for her. That came with experience and she was glad that he had it. She almost felt she had relinquished her command at times by allowing him to have the final say about their basic necessities. Still, she set the rigorous agendas every morning which he dutifully followed in trying to find a way out.

With their observation about the turning weather and not knowing what to expect from the planet's weather patterns, Chakotay had stressed the importance of getting adequate shelter. Janeway suggested the caves but Chakotay felt some of the larger animals they had already seen might be making their homes there. He favored a more standard enclosure, one he could be sure to fortify to keep out anyone or anything that may want to do harm to them.

"And just want do you intend to do?" she asked at dinner one day. "Build a house?"

Chakotay popped a bit of fish into his mouth and said, "That's exactly what I plan to do. Look at all the wood around here."

"Chakotay, you have no tools. How are you going to build it?"

He smiled at the use of his name. As time wore on, she was becoming more comfortable with dropping the formalities of rank and they had eased into a nice partnership instead. "I can make an axe out of some of the natural materials here and cut down the trees. With the metal tips we found, I can hew out the logs and you can help me lift them into place."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not as tall as you. It's going to be a short house."

"I can rig a pulley system with some of the vines and we can get the roof raised. Too bad there's no large game here. I could have you a large teepee in a day."

She looked at the river and the large slick rocks. "How about you build me a stack stone fireplace instead?"

"Stack stone?"

She nodded and turned back. "We had one at the farmhouse. I always thought it was pretty to look at."

"It's also necessary to eat so it's already in the plan. I'm afraid we can't build a replicator and we will need a fire pit to keep warm and feed ourselves."

"Stack stone fireplace. Not a pit."

He grinned and said, "Is that an order, Captain?"

"Yes, Commander." Her blue eyes sparkled as they stared before she glanced away. "I… I want to thank you for everything you've done for us. You've done so much to make us comfortable here…"

"But you don't want to be comfortable."

"No. I want to be on it and know what happened to my ship."

Chakotay poked at the dying fire. "I do too, Captain. I do too."

Janeway dusted her hands on her dress which had become worn with use. "Seska just left us here to rot. I have to say I'm surprised she hasn't been back to check up on us or torture us at least. I guess this is her version of it."

"Oh, I wouldn't put it past her to show up at some point." He watched her finger her fraying hem and said, "How are you at sewing? We still have the sheet from the bed."

She looked up. "Yes, I'm afraid I'm going to have to gather some leaves shortly." She tossed her long hair over her shoulder. "Or at least wait for my hair to grow a few more inches to remain decent."

"Or maybe not. I wouldn't mind."

Her mouth dropped. "Excuse me, Commander?"

Chakotay backed away and his tan face reddened. "I mean…I already set some traps to get us some variety in our diet. But it will also get us some new clothes on our backs and warm covers for the colder weather. I'm sure I can start catching some of the smaller fur creatures here right away. Once I can make larger traps, you'll have a nice fur outfit in no time, Captain."

She eyed his naked chest and said, "Actually, the first shirt should go to you. You're already down a garment."

He shook his head. "It's too hot for me and besides I can't have my captain giving me orders while she's disrobed, can I? I'm sure that would be against some Starfleet regulations somewhere." He gathered up the fish bones and walked to the river to dispose of them.

Janeway watched him walk away. "Chakotay." She waited until he turned to her and she took a deep breath. "Unfortunately, you and I are no longer in a command structure here. And we may never board Voyager again. This could be our home. Forever."

He matched her solemn expression and said, "Yes, Captain. It could be. That's why I want us to stop camping and create something more permanent. But you understand I'm not giving up on us getting out of here and going home."

She nodded. "Yes. Good, because I never will." She watched him turn back to the water and sat silently for a few moments. "Chakotay?"

"Captain?"

"Exactly. Maybe…maybe you shouldn't call me that." She bit her lip as she stood up and swiped at her tattered skirt. "Besides, I don't look like much of one anymore."

Chakotay's eyes swept over her again as he walked over. "I think you look perfect. You always look professional even under these circumstances."

She couldn't help her smile. "Thank you, Chakotay."

His face came close to hers as he looked down at her. Taking her hands in his, he squeezed and said, "You're welcome." He studied her face as if seeing it clearly for the first time.

"Chakotay?" she whispered. His lips hovered and her eyes closed as his lips gently brushed against hers. She let him capture her bottom lip as he pulled her closer to him. A cool wind blew through and ruffled her thin dress as the night fell. She let him envelop her in his body heat and a long forgotten yet familiar sensation surged through her body as his lips trailed down her neck. With a gasp, her eyes flew open and she pushed him away.

Chakotay covered his mouth with his hand as if trying to keep the sensation of their intimate kiss. Then, he quickly mumbled an apology and strode away, disappearing into the woods.

She had no voice to call him back as she tried to calm her racing heart. She couldn't do this. He was her First Officer. But he was the only man she may ever know for the rest of her natural life. It was wrong. Yet, it felt very right to be held and kissed and loved again by a man.

As her competing emotions and thoughts raced through her mind, Janeway snuffed the rest of the fire out and cleaned the campsite in an effort to busy herself. As she finished, she looked back to where he had gone but saw nothing.

Rubbing her bare arms with her hands to keep warm, she retreated to the mattress they had retrieved from the cave a while ago situated next to a pile of leaves made up as a bed. Chakotay and Janeway took turns between the two sleeping areas although she usually found herself on the mattress more than her share of the time. She knew he moved her in the middle of the night as the weather had cooled so she would stay warm rather than sleeping on the cold ground. It was those little things she had come to expect a First Officer to do to take care of his Captain but now…she wasn't so sure what they were to each other anymore.

Voyager would be back. She would return and she and Chakotay would go back to their regularity and decorum. She couldn't lose herself in the moment even with things as they were. As her initial resolve and her fervent hope to be back in control of her own life faded, she slumped down onto the mattress and buried her face in her hands. Then, she allowed herself for the first time in a very long time to cry.


	7. Chapter 7

Janeway's eyes fluttered open and she raised herself up on her elbows. She blinked in the warm sunshine and looked beside her. The bed of leaves remained untouched. She looked over to the river but Chakotay was nowhere to be seen.

She stood up and grabbed the sheet. Carefully discarding her thin dress, she wrapped herself in the bed linen and took her dress to the river to rinse it in the cool water. Laying it out on a rock to dry, she looked around once more before dropping the sheet and jumping into the cold depths. The cool water felt good on her tear stained face and she slowly ducked her head under to immerse herself in the quiet world beneath.

Chakotay had spent the night out in the woods and, as he cleared and re-set the last of his traps, he headed back to their spot. He knew he had to face her. There was no escape. They needed to talk. He only hoped she could forgive him for what he had done and the liberty he had taken with her.

Still, he wasn't sorry it had happened. The past few months with no other person to talk to had been difficult yet fulfilling at the same time. To his surprise, it had actually been extremely pleasant. He had gotten to know his tough, resilient captain and he admired her even more. A great deal more. Even more than he did in the first few months of their journey back home. Back then, he had made it his mission to make her job easier to help alleviate the enormous amount of pressure she had on her shoulders in trying to be strong for their crew and whatever they might face along the way.

Now, he had exploited the one weakness he knew she had. Intimacy. True intimacy and he had chosen to exploit it for his own pleasure. He was almost ashamed and almost wished Voyager would stay away a little longer so he could smooth things over and calm her fears. He could probably avoid the brig or, worse, banishment here on this planet alone and forever away from her.

As he walked into camp, he did not see her in the bed. He spotted her dress lying on the rock and then eyed the water. Gentle ripples just off shore indicated her position underneath the surface. He watched for a few moments until her head crested and he was assured she was just swimming before he walked to the far end of camp to give her the privacy she deserved as she bathed. He quietly set to work skinning the animals he had caught.

A half hour later, Chakotay heard the rush of the dripping water as she exited the river. He kept his back turned and waited for her to speak indicating she was decent to look at.

Janeway spotted him as she climbed over the rocks and quickly grabbed for her dress. She pulled it over her head and tried to make out what he was doing. Grasping the sheet, she dipped it into the water and scrubbed it before leaving it to dry in the sun so he would have a fresh linen to use tonight.

Drying her hands on her dress, she walked over and saw him expertly cleaning carcasses. "Hello, Chakotay."

Chakotay turned and couldn't help his eyes from sweeping over her. "Captain. I…um…caught some small animals last night. I'll tan the hides and then we can maybe figure out a way to sew them together for you. I can cut some of the smaller pieces into strings and we can lash the hides together. The animal skin will keep you warm in the cold and cooler in the hot sun. It'll be durable too in case we're here for very much longer. There are a lot of animals about so I should have enough material for you in no time."

She noticed he looked everywhere but at her face as he talked. And he kept his hands busy with the task at hand. She stepped forward and said, "Chakotay, about last night…"

Chakotay's spear tip slipped and he winced as the sharp edge drew blood. "Ow!"

She took his arm and tried to pull it towards her but he resisted. "Let me see."

"No, it's nothing. I'll be fine."

"Chakotay, we have no med kit and no antibiotics. We need to care for all wounds very carefully."

"I know that!" Her watched her step back as he calmed his temper. "There's a plant that grows up in the mountains that I'm pretty sure can be used as a dressing. I've been cataloging it just in case."

Janeway forced a smile. "Well, that's wonderful. Where? Which one? I can get it…"

"No." Chakotay walked away and made his way towards the river. He stooped down to wash off the blood and silently chastised himself. He knew he needed to take responsibility for last night but something about her and being this close again…it stopped the words. It made him angry that she was so close again and he couldn't have her the way he wanted to. His emotions were strong. Much stronger than he had given them credit and acknowledging them now was dangerous for him and for her. He couldn't do it.

After a quick wash, he walked up the path and into the small cave where he and the captain had been storing extra food provisions and other necessities they thought they might need at some point. He drew the cool air into his chest and breathed. Grabbing a large rolled leaf, he unwrapped it and took some of the paste he had made earlier. He had ground the plant into a white substance and tested it on a few scratches a few weeks before. It had seemed to hasten his healing and he smoothed some of it onto the small cut on his finger.

Placing the medicine back, he turned around to find her staring at him.

"We need to talk," she said.

Chakotay glanced around but there was nowhere for him to go as she stepped inside and cornered him. "Captain," he said.

"Kathryn." She watched his face and added, "You and I are going to be together, it looks like for a very long time. Together, Chakotay for an extended period. It's already been several months. Obviously, this planet doesn't get any visitors at least none since the ones who stranded us here and I don't think they're coming back."

Chakotay shook his head. "Captain…"

"Kathryn," she said firmly. She moved closer. "You and I are not in a command structure anymore. We…I have no ship." She cleared her throat. "It's time…it's time we both acknowledge our reality which is that you and I are alone, maybe for the rest of our natural lives."

"Cap…" He saw her glare and said, "Kathryn." She nodded and he said, "I don't ever want you to feel in danger here. Especially not from me."

Her shoulders dropped. "Oh, Chakotay, I know you would never hurt me. You've done nothing but try and protect us and make our lives comfortable here. I don't feel threatened in any way."

Chakotay bit his lip. "But you felt uncomfortable last night and I don't want to do that to you again. I don't want you looking over your shoulder waiting for when I might…touch you again. I won't do it. Not ever."

Disappointment ran through her as she listened to his words. She thought she saw a hint of confusion in his eyes as he studied her reaction. She remained stoic until she shook her head and said, "Actually, I hope you do touch me again. It felt…nice."

Chakotay felt the breath leave his body as he tried to comprehend what she had just said to him. "What? What did you just say?"

She smiled. "I'm not saying I'm ready for…all I'm saying is I understand that you're a man and I'm a woman and, if we stay here long enough, you and I are bound to have a…a reaction to each other. Chakotay, it's already happened."

"Yes, but I don't want you to feel obligated to act on that or be afraid that I'm going to act on what I feel."

She put up her hands and said, "I know you won't force me or corner me and that I can sleep very well knowing you're not going to take advantage of me. I guess what I am trying to say is I trust you."

He drew close and she took his injured hand and fingered a bit of the dried paste. "I need to wrap that," he said.

"Yes," she whispered. "You do."

She looked up and their eyes met. She felt the same sensation from last night run through her body but, this time, it was she who lifted herself up on her toes to bring her lips close to his.

"Kathryn, please, you're not ready…"

Their breath intermingled as they gazed at one another.

"I…Chakotay, I think I lied."

Chakotay didn't give her a chance to change her mind. He enveloped her in his arms and held her tight as he ran his tongue across her lips until she parted them and allowed him to kiss her completely. His hands slid down the thin fabric of her dress and it took every bit of his self control not to tear it away from her body.

As his hands moved to more intimate places, she held onto him and allowed the passion he was igniting within to excite and unnerve her. It had been so long since she had been touched like this. She quickly dismissed a pang of guilt as she struggled to match his kisses and caresses. Finally, she allowed him to scoop her up and carry her outside.

Their lips never parted and they never made it back to the camp. Chakotay laid her on the first grassy knoll they came to underneath a grove of pines. His hands were everywhere and she struggled as he took her breath away and then gave it back to her again as his mouth traveled all over her body.

Suddenly, he stopped and she looked up, panting. She watched him carefully slide a hand up her leg and grasp at the hem of her dress. She lifted her hips up to allow him to disrobe her without harming her sole precious garment. She heard his breathing grow heavy as he eyed her firm body and porcelain skin.

As she lay naked beneath him, her hands found his pants. Slowly, she freed him and he leapt out of his clothes and kicked them to the side. She felt the weight of his body as he carefully lowered himself onto her and his kisses, caresses, and then intimate probing took her breath away once again. Her legs parted and Chakotay made himself at home with the woman he knew had captured his heart forever.

As the former Captain and Commander became tangled in one another, Seska appeared just behind a tree in a flash of light. Gone was her warrior outfit. Instead, it was replaced by her old Starfleet one. Her Cardassian features were more prominent and a large smile spread across her face. "That's it. Exactly like we planned. And how courteous of you two to be right on schedule." She shook her head and added, "Humans. You're so predictable." Then, with a snap of her fingers, she was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I just wanted to thank everyone for reading my story. And a special thank you to those of you who have left me a note. I appreciate it and I hope you enjoy this new chapter. **

Kathryn and Chakotay lay naked under the swaying pine trees as they basked in their afterglow which was almost as warm as the sun above. Several times he had taken her but she hadn't minded even when her body had strongly protested his latest entry.

Chakotay held her in his arms and said, "What about right here for our home?"

Kathryn looked up. "What?" She turned her cool blue eyes to his dark ones and was thrilled to find apparent love and contentment shining there. "A house?"

"Yes." He propped himself up and searched her eyes. "What are you looking at?"

She smiled and said, "You. This is the best I've felt in a very long time, Chakotay."

He gave her a wicked smile. "Sex does that." He flinched at her playful slap and looked back up to the sky. "I mean it. How about right here for that home of ours? We're high enough up to see the scenery as well as be protected from anyone or anything that could approach from below. And these trees will buffer the elements."

Kathryn watched the pines sway in the light breeze. "Are you sure? One good storm and I see those branches coming through my roof and into my fireplace."

He looked at her sideways. "Are you calling into question my log cabin skills?"

She kissed him and ran her palm across her cheek. "That's okay. You have other skills that make up for it."

Chakotay climbed on top of her again and began to run his hands along now familiar places. She felt his arousal and whispered, "Chakotay…"

"I'll be careful," he whispered back as he nibbled near her ear.

She winced as he entered yet again but she was quickly swept away by his tender touch and the building passion that made it all okay. As she lay spent a few minutes later, she wiped the beads of sweat from her stomach and chest. Pushing his head away as he grazed his lips across her breasts, she announced, "I'm starving."

Chakotay chuckled. "I think I need a bit more time to recover."

She pushed him completely off and sat up. She winced again at her body's soreness. "I meant food. My stomach is past growling. It physically hurts."

"And here I thought it was me."

She smiled and grabbed his chin. "That's my other parts and I need a break from that too."

Chakotay rolled onto his back and placed his hands behind his head. "No problem. It looks like we've got the rest of our lives to keep this up."

As she stood up and drew on her dress, she playfully kicked at him. "No. You have a home to build and fish to catch and I mean now."

"Is that an order, Captain?"

Her smile faded as he grabbed her leg. She shook him off and said, "Please don't call me that. I don't…I'm not that person anymore."

Chakotay rubbed her thigh as he stood up. "I'm sorry."

She rubbed her forehead before she smiled again and said, "No, you're not. You like all of this much better."

Chakotay's dimples appeared. "I am not going to deny that."

She picked up his pants and threw them at him. "Food then shelter. Now!"

He laughed as he drew on his clothing. "Yes, ma'am."

Several weeks passed while Chakotay and Kathryn raised a small cabin in the grove where they had first consummated their relationship. In between lovemaking and the necessary food breaks to maintain their energy, they put together a small log home with the basics readily accessible. Chakotay trapped several furry animals and, between delicious stew and the skins, they finally had a bit of variety in their diet and a small wardrobe of new garments to wear. Chakotay also lashed some larger hides together to make a warm covering to place over the mattress that they now shared.

Their homemaking and preparations seemed to be none too soon as, one morning, a cold snap had them huddling together in the early morning hours. Chakotay ran his hands down her arms to smooth her goose bumps. "I'd get out and start a fire but I don't want to leave you."

Kathryn glanced over at the stack stone fireplace she had requested and received. It was laid beautifully with different color river rocks that they had collected day by day following the water's path downstream. Each collection of stones marked a spot they had stopped and enjoyed nature as well as each other. Kathryn blushed when it was finally done and she could admire the centerpiece of their home that represented each separate moment of love and their new lives.

Regretfully, Voyager and its crew were becoming more and more of a distant memory for her. She didn't like that but she couldn't help it. The crew she had been responsible for was missing. She could only hope that they had found their way out of whatever had transpired up there courtesy of Seska and had found a way to continue on their journey home. She knew that wasn't likely since Tuvok and the rest of the command crew would never have willingly left the planet without trying to contact them first. She could only whisper a few prayers every night.

Occasionally, Chakotay caught her in a small grove in her weaker moments. He never interrupted or tried to dissuade her from her grief. He simply sat with her while she tried to come to terms with her new reality and her crew, whatever it may have been.

Chakotay hugged her tight again and said, "You're awfully quiet."

She snuggled against his chest and said, "I'm just thinking."

His finger traced her shoulder. "About?"

"I love my life."

Chakotay's heart leapt and he felt his breath leave as he sought to confirm what he had just heard. "You love your life?" he gasped.

She turned her face to his and kissed his cheek. "Yes. I love you and I love my life."

Chakotay was grateful that she couldn't see his face as he blinked. Finally, he had everything he had ever wanted. And, now, she wanted it too. "I love you, Kathryn."

She sat up and looked down at him. "Good. Because I have something to tell you."

His eyes narrowed. "More than I love you?"

She glanced away for a moment and then, taking a deep breath, she said, "I think we're going to have a baby."

For the second time in as many minutes, Chakotay felt his chest tighten. He sat up to face her and said, "What did you just say?"

Kathryn fidgeted with her long hair. "I'm not positive but I am pretty sure. I just don't feel like myself and, well, there's other things that tell me that I think…well, after all that we've done, I just thought, I should have realized that without any…I mean I gave up on a family when we came to the Delta Quadrant and…"

Chakotay grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "You're going to have a baby?"

Kathryn's heart raced. "Yes. I think we are going to have…" Her voice trailed off as she looked around the small cabin. "Oh my god, Chakotay, we can't do this. What are we thinking? We can't subject a child to any of this!" She turned back to him and grabbed his arms. "This is wrong! What are we going to do?"

Chakotay couldn't help the large grin that came to his face in spite of her panic. He took his own deep breath and said, "We are going to love her and take care of her just like we do each other."

Kathryn felt her tears start to slip as she fell into his arms. He hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. "I'm scared," she whispered.

"I know," he answered. "Me too. But I promise it will all be okay."

Kathryn could hear his heart racing as fast as hers. She clung to him as they both absorbed the news.

Chakotay wrapped her up tight as sunlight began streaming in through the cracks. It was the dawn of a new day.

As Chakotay and Kathryn settled together in the cabin below, Seska and a friend sat on the rocks in a cave just above them.

The tall, red headed female looked over and said, "So, everything is going according to this master plan of yours?"

Seska nodded. "Perfectly. In just a few months, I will be restored to greatness and lauded for my achievement. Just like I should be."

"And what do you plan on doing with these two after this is over? Are you going to return them to their crew and their ship?"

Seska rose and walked to the cave entrance. Leaning against the rock face, she said, "I haven't decided yet. I may still need them."

Her female companion stood up. "Careful. You should never overplay your hand. It's a common fault with you and, remember, you are playing with three lives now not two."

Seska threw her an annoyed look. "I am playing and have been playing with way more than that! I know what I'm doing!"

"Let's hope so." And with a snap and a flash, she disappeared.

Seska huffed and crossed her arms as she stared back down at the cabin. "Females."


	9. Chapter 9

Chakotay set to work in earnest over the next several months prepping the cabin for the colder weather. He managed to make a paste out of raw materials and sap he found to give their small home as much protection from the colder air as he could. Kathryn did her part in storing and putting away as much extra food, medicine, firewood, and supplies as she and Chakotay could manufacture in their spare time. Their evenings were spent recuperating from their busy days by lying by their fireplace after dinner. Chakotay always held her tight in his arms and lightly stroked their growing child.

It was on one particularly cool night with a full moon overhead that Kathryn was half asleep in his arms when, suddenly, she jumped and sat up.

Chakotay grabbed her. "What? What's wrong?"

She turned to him with a confused look that quickly changed to one of wonder and delight. With a big smile, she took his hand and slowly lowered it onto her stomach. Together, they felt their child move for the first time. Their baby heartily acknowledged her presence and assured them both that she was real and most definitely on her way. There were no words between them. Only a few tears and kisses and affirmations of love between them and for their child as they held one another into the night.

A few weeks later, Chakotay finished sealing the final portion of the roof when he realized it was almost dark. Kathryn usually called for him well before now but, as he glanced around, he couldn't see her. "Kathryn!"

He jumped down from the cabin and ran inside. She was not there. Chakotay swallowed the burgeoning lump in his throat and ran down to the river. Again, she was nowhere to be found.

"Kathryn! Kathryn! Kathryn!"

Chakotay scrambled back up to the caves and checked every storage place. His throat grew raw as he called up and down the mountain paths and through the small forest grove where he knew she liked to walk. He walked downstream a bit himself wondering if she had decided to follow the water and take a walk. As he looked at the churning rapids, he felt goose bumps start to form and rubbed his arms to palm them away. The air was chilly and he knew Kathryn wouldn't be out in it this far into the night especially in her condition and not without telling him where she was going.

His eyes focused again on the water. The last time he had seen her she was cleaning the lunch dishes he had whittled out of wood scraps for them to use. Had she leaned too far? Had her pregnancy put her off balance enough that she had fallen in and been swept away, fighting for her life and the life of their child while he hadn't heard her cries for help?

Chakotay shook his head and took a few deep breaths to calm his panic. He ran back to the cabin and did another sweep of every place he knew she might be. As he walked back inside the cabin, he did a double take. There, sitting by the fireplace curled up in the fur blanket he had made for Kathryn and himself to share, was Seska.

"You," he said.

Seska raised a glass of champagne. "Chakotay, I hear congratulations are in order. Bravo! I knew you could do it."

Kathryn paced in her quarters aboard Voyager. Her hands instinctively found her abdomen as she tried to quiet the little life who seemed almost as unnerved as she was by their displacement. One moment, Kathryn had been washing dishes and the next; she was finally back on Voyager. Back in her quarters just as she had been hoping for the better part of a year yet, she was a prisoner once again. She was unable to leave or contact anyone. She had resorted at one point to calling out and pounding on her door after a series of attempts to open it had failed. Kathryn chided herself on her lack of skill to open a simple entryway. She felt inadequate and slighted. Even the computer wouldn't accept her voice commands and codes.

Frustrated, she familiarizing herself with her quarters again. She went to her closet and slipped into her old clothes. Fabric! Nothing really fit anymore because of her new body but it looked like she wasn't going to get any company soon. She estimated it had to be late and she finally settled on a comfortable nightgown. Walking back out to her living area, she dropped down on the couch. Her thoughts went back to Chakotay as their child kicked impatiently. Chakotay had to have missed them by now.

Kathryn soothed her child once again and walked over to the replicator to try and order something. To her surprise, a cup of coffee and a bowl of steaming tomato and vegetable soup immediately materialized at her command.

"Now why do you work but nothing else does? This just doesn't make any sense."

"Then stop trying to figure it out."

Kathryn whirled around and saw a tall, redheaded woman dressed in a Starfleet command uniform standing before her. "Who the hell are you? What are you doing on my ship?"

The woman crossed her arms and stared her down. "I never understood the fascination he has with you humans. You try and maintain control and an upper hand when clearly you have neither. You're lucky I let you eat." She checked her nails as she fidgeted. "But of course, I would suffer if you didn't. He has gone to a lot of trouble, after all."

Kathryn's eyes narrowed as she studied the woman. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"

The woman sniffed. "Your mind can not comprehend those answers."

"Try me!" Kathryn's mind immediately rifled through all of the Starfleet communiqués and reports she had read with regards to alien encounters. Suddenly, she found it. "An arrogant being who appears out of nowhere and dresses as if they are a member of the crew. You must be a Q."

Lady Q gave her an annoyed look.

"But the only known Q I'm aware of visited Captain Picard of the USS Enterprise appearing as a male. Here, on my ship, you appear as a female. Do you always take on the gender of the person you contact?"

Lady Q smirked. "You think you're so very clever, Captain. As if only one Q exists."

Kathryn listened to her address and couldn't help a small smile. Even after all these months away, it felt good. It felt very good to be acknowledged as what she was. A Captain. Even if she was out of uniform and in the condition she currently was, she still commanded respect. She lifted her shoulders and demanded, "What do you want? Where is my crew? Why have you interfered with us like this?"

"So many questions, Captain. I'm afraid you'll have to ask Q for the answers."

"I am asking a Q. I am asking you."

Lady Q dropped her arms. "That show of respect towards me may help you yet." Kathryn's face was puzzled and she added, "I'll give you this much." She waved a hand. "I suggest you not get too attached. I've seen how sentimental you simple beings can be. Don't do it."

Kathryn's hands instinctively went around her waist. "What do you mean?"

Lady Q smiled. "You'll see." And then, with a snap, she was gone.

Seska dropped a corner of the fur blanket to bare her shoulder. She watched as Chakotay's eyes swept across her and she chuckled. "You've impregnated your captain and professed your love to her yet you still want me. It's charming and yet revolting at the same time."

Chakotay's eyes met hers. "I'd rather die than touch you. Where is Kathryn?"

Seska's face darkened. "Careful what you wish for."

"Where's Kathryn? What do you want, Seska? Why are you here? What have you done with our ship?" Chakotay's voice bellowed under the rafters.

"Temper. Temper." Seska drained her glass and then coughed. "Ugh! What do you humans see in that drink? Disgusting, if you ask me."

Chakotay stepped forward and studied her again. He scanned her body and face. Finally, he shook his head. "You're not …I knew. I knew it all those months ago. You're not really her."

Seska blinked. "Really? I'm not who?"

Chakotay drew closer. "Give it up! Whoever you are, you're not Seska! You didn't feel right then and you're not acting right now. You're acting even stranger than you were before. Seska never would have allowed us to escape an imprisonment she had planned. I knew it! Who are you?"

Seska blinked again. "I am who I appear to be."

Chakotay shook his head. "Seska would have allowed an escape only to starve us to death. Let us watch each other die as we struggled to live just for sport. That's her sick game. But that's not yours, is it? Who are you? What do you want?" Suddenly, he snatched her throat. Lifting her up, he demanded, "Where is Kathryn?"

Seska choked. "Put me down!"

Chakotay's arm shook as he squeezed her tighter. "Where is she? What are you?"

Seska gasped for air and her skin colored as the lack of oxygen began to take its toll. Clawing at his iron grip, she finally stilled and looked straight into his eyes. "Fine. I'll give you this round. But it was fun while it lasted, wasn't it?"

Seska snapped her fingers and a flash of light blinded Chakotay. He lost his grip and covered his eyes. The glare from the flash dissipated and he straightened to see a tall man standing before him dressed in a Starfleet uniform. Chakotay's mind went through the entire crew manifest until he had to ask, "Who the hell are you?"

The man gave him an impish grin. Throwing his arms out, he announced, "I am Q."


	10. Chapter 10

"Q?"

"Yes, you should be honored!"

Chakotay studied the being who appeared to be nothing more than a human male in a Starfleet uniform but he knew better. He also had other things on his mind. "Where's Kathryn?"

Q sat down at the kitchen table Chakotay had crafted by hand and ran his hand across the smooth surface. "Nice workmanship." He snapped his fingers and the table was suddenly laden with a variety of foods.

Chakotay couldn't help his mouth from watering. It had been so long since he had seen a fruit or a vegetable. Licking his lips to still his appetite, he demanded, "Where is Kathryn?"

Q waved a hand at the other chair. "You're not going to sit down and partake? That's quite rude. I went to a lot of trouble here. I don't just snap my fingers for anybody, you know."

Chakotay reached for him in a threatening manner but Q quickly immobilized him. He wagged a finger and said, "I allowed you the upper hand one time. You are the father of this child for now but that's as far as my gratitude extends."

Chakotay felt the breath return to his body as he was released. "Ex-excuse me?"

Q popped a grape into his mouth and then promptly spit it out. "Yuck! I never did understand this fascination you primates have with, eating, is it?"

Chakotay glanced around the cabin. His eyes settled on Kathryn's thin worn dress hanging on a wooden wall peg and his chest clenched. Turning back to Q, he said, "Please tell me where Kathryn is."

Q spit out another mouthful and wiped his tongue. "Well, if you must know, I returned her to your ship."

"Voyager?"

Q stared. "You're not too bright are you? No matter. I can fix that when the child comes."

"Fix what? I demand you take me to her."

Q waved his arms. "And let you leave all this? But you and I worked so hard."

Chakotay grit his teeth. "Either bring her back or let me go to her. Now!"

Q stood up and snapped his fingers. The food vanished. "Let that be a lesson."

Chakotay clenched his fists. "Q, what do you want?"

"I already have what I want. Or soon will."

"What does that mean? Why did you do all this to us? What do you want?" Chakotay stepped forward. "Please. You want me to beg? I'll beg. Whoever you are, whatever you are, take me to Kathryn. Please."

"Well, since you asked so nicely…" Q snapped his fingers and they both disappeared.

Kathryn paced in her quarters. It had been almost an hour since Lady Q had left her with that ominous warning. Kathryn was attached to her child just as any mother would be at the moment she knew her child existed. No one was going to take her baby. No one and no Q.

After several more attempts to escape her confines, she tossed her hairbrush across the room in frustration. Hot tears welled up and she dropped into a chair. Her vision swam as she tried to figure a way out. If she could just contact her crew outside the door. Voyager couldn't be running itself. Not after all this time. Her eyes focused on the replicator where her soup sat untouched.

Slowly, she stood up and mumbled, "The replicator." Dashing over, she gave orders to replicate several weapons and tools but to no avail. Slamming her palm against the machine, she yelled, "Why are you doing this to me?"

"Temper. Temper. Between the two of you I don't know who is going to have the worst biology to fix. I should have studied you two more carefully."

Kathryn turned around to see Chakotay and another man dressed in a regulation uniform beside him. Chakotay was a blur as he rushed and gathered her into his arms. She hugged him until he drew back and took her face in his hands. "Chakotay!"

"Are you okay?" His hand dropped to the child. "Did he hurt you?"

"He who?"

Q waved. "I don't think we've officially met and we should since you are about to be the mother of my child. Behold, I am Q."

Kathryn peeked around as Chakotay stepped in front of her. "What did you just say?" she asked.

"This is our child," Chakotay said. "No one will take her from us."

"Correct on the first part. Biologically that is but human DNA can be reconfigured and it will. But I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken about the other. That child is mine. It will be a present to the Continuum. I worked very hard to have him. I'm about exhausted over it actually. And you, you are violent, primitive, physical being in the most unappealing way. Why, I would never leave any child with a savage like you let alone my own son."

Kathryn pushed Chakotay aside. "My son or my daughter! This is my child and Chakotay's!"

Chakotay pulled her back as Lady Q flashed into the room. Lady Q shook her head and walked over. "I told her not to get so attached, Q. Humans. So emotional."

"You will NEVER take my child from me," Kathryn warned.

Q put up his hand and snapped his fingers. Immediately, Lady Q's stomach distended while Kathryn's flattened. "I believe I just did."

Chakotay looked in horror as Kathryn's hands flew to where her baby had been. "No!" she cried.

Lady Q shrieked and said, "What have you done? Get this thing out of me now! The whole point of this was to let them do the dirty part." She grabbed Q by the arm. "You want a child so badly to bring to the Continuum, you carry it!"

She snapped her fingers and immediately the child left her and went into Q. Q stumbled back and said, "Well, I think my point has been made." With one final snap, the child returned to Kathryn who ran into her bedroom in tears.

Chakotay's body shook in anger as he pointed a finger at them. "Don't you ever touch my child again or I will kill you!"

Lady Q cackled while Q crossed his arms. "Really? And just how do you intend to end the life of an omnipotent being?"

"If you want a child so badly why don't you just snap your fingers and create one?"

Q looked down and shuffled his feet. "It's not that easy for a Q. Besides, you humans do it with such regularity, you won't miss one screaming infant."

"You won't touch my child," Chakotay repeated.

Q's good humor left. "I believe I just demonstrated that I can and I will. As soon as the child is born, he's mine. He's a Q!"

With a snap, he was gone. Lady Q looked at Chakotay who was listening to Kathryn's faint sobs. Chakotay looked at her and said, "You would do this? You would separate a child from its mother?"

Lady Q shrugged. "I'm afraid I don't know what a mother is. They can't be that important."

Chakotay's pleading look turned to one of pity. "Parents, like their children, are a gift. I'm sorry the Q never got the chance to experience that." He gave her a long look and then walked away.

"That's it? No demands, no threats, no more displays of primal anger? I saw what you did on the planet. Q in the throes of battle with a puny mortal…it's…it's…it was laughable."

Chakotay stopped and turned back. "I don't think any of this is funny. The only Q I've ever heard of was the one that appeared on the Enterprise. He was mischievous but never cruel. Obviously those reports were incorrect or he is a poor ambassador for your species. For there is nothing so cruel as to tear a family apart. Even the Q must have some concept of that."

Lady Q's chuckles stopped. "The Qs have no family."

Chakotay raised an eyebrow. "Oh no? Then what is this Continuum that was mentioned? Sounds like a home to me."

"You cannot comprehend the Q or the Continuum. It would useless for you to try."

He took a step. "And you do not comprehend humans. You demean us as primitive beings with trivial feelings. Yet, most humans I know would argue that without feelings and emotions, you never actually have a life and live it at all."

Lady Q smirked. "You're not popular at Vulcan gatherings, are you?"

Chakotay gave her another look of pity before shaking his head. "You are destroying a lesser being for your own personal gain and yet you call yourselves omnipotents. Leaders of the universe. Supreme life forms."

"Yes and you should be honored that we chose your child to live among us. He will become Q. One of those leaders and a supreme being."

"My child is human. Just like her mother and her father. I do not wish her to be anything other than what she already is."

"He is nothing of any significance until he is formed in the image of the Q."

"She is my child and I love her more than my own life. That's how significant she is. And you will take her only after I give that life trying to stop you and anyone else who tries to come for her. And I can assure you that goes for her mother as well."

Lady Q's smile faltered. "But you can't stop us."

"Maybe not. But we will die trying." Chakotay gave her a final glare before walking away and disappearing into the bedroom.

Lady Q's eyes followed him for a bit before she snapped her fingers and returned to the Continuum.


	11. Chapter 11

Chakotay walked into the bedroom and found Kathryn lying on the bed. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were tear stained. He gathered her in his arms and let her cry on his shoulder softly.

"Computer," he said.

Kathryn sniffed and sat up. "It won't answer you. They must have disabled it. We can't leave my quarters either."

"What?" Chakotay walked back out. He noticed Lady Q was gone and began the same series of attempts to free them that Kathryn had performed earlier. After a half hour, he leaned against the wall defeated.

Kathryn came out to watch and she smiled. "You're better than I am. I was a screaming tyrant by this point."

Chakotay grinned back. "It's nice to see you happy again. And you are going to stay that way. I won't allow them to take our child. Q or no Q."

Kathryn dropped her head and brushed a hand across her cheek. "There's literally nothing humanly possible we can do to stop them. You saw what they did."

"I talked to the female. Maybe what I said will have some effect."

"I doubt it. She seems to do Q's bidding. I highly doubt we could offer her anything to make her switch sides."

"There's always something. You know when I first saw Q at the cabin he laid out a whole spread of vegetables and fruit. I was crazy, out of mind, searching for you but I seriously thought about taking a moment for just one bite of it."

Kathryn stared at him. "You threw over me and your baby for food?"

Chakotay couldn't help but chuckle. "A man has his needs and food is a basic one. Besides, I didn't do it."

"Well, your other basic need also won't be met for some time if we ever get out of this." Her hands found her child again.

Chakotay shook his head. "I swear it, Kathryn. They won't take our child."

A stray tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away. "Chakotay, the replicator works. You can order that tomato now unless Q is holding a grudge."

Chakotay walked over and activated the replicator. He ordered their favorite meals and took them over to the small table. He placed the plates down and manually dimmed the lights. "Well, at least the cabin controls still work."

Kathryn let him lead her to the table where he held her seat as she settled in. He went to the other side and sat down before raising a glass. "You and I never got the chance to celebrate in style. To our new family."

Kathryn forced a smile and the worry that had been threatening to overwhelm her subsided. Still, her hand shook as she picked up her drink and toasted, "To our family."

Lady Q watched as the two made small talk over their first real dinner in months. "How quaint these beings are. They celebrate even though they know their fate is not what they desire. Curious."

Q flashed behind her and said, "Ridiculous, isn't it? You know, I could speed things up. With the Continuum tearing itself apart by the moment, that kid could be useful to us today. And who knows how long it will take him to get the hang of his Qness."

He raised a finger but Lady Q held it down. "Let them be. You've done enough to them for one day, Q."

Q glanced over and grinned. "Not getting sentimental are we, dear? You wouldn't be the first to get attached to these humans."

Lady Q sneered. "No, I wouldn't, would I? That's your department."

"Moi? I am not attached! Picard is just a distraction and this one…"

"This one?" Lady Q asked.

"This one is a means to an end. Besides, Picard would have never let me get away with using that red headed doctor of his."

"So you chose the next best redhead available?"

"Well, I did want our child to have your looks."

Lady Q smiled. "How thoughtful of you."

"I know. It was ingenious, wasn't it? A man and woman alone and light years from home. What else do they have to do but fall in love and mate? I mean have you ever read some of their literature? Really the vilest kind of story telling but it was an inspiration. Strand a man and woman alone on a desolate paradise and let nature take its course. Played out just like they said it would. And Picard isn't nearly as passionate. It would have taken him forever but this man? It took him barely a month to mate with this one and ensure a child for us."

"Our child."

"Yes! Just think of it, Q. Before long, you and I will be parents!"

After dinner, Chakotay carried Kathryn into her bedroom and tucked her into bed. As he placed the covers over her, he felt their child stir. Leaning in close, he whispered, "You are ours. No one will ever take you from your family."

The child thumped her approval and Kathryn stirred. With a loving rub, Chakotay settled them both and then returned to the living area. He took a few more tries at unsealing the door but to no avail. Finally, he gave up and cleared the table. As he emptied the dishes into the recycler, he heard a noise behind him.

Chakotay spun around and saw the Doctor standing there with a smile. "Good evening, Commander. I can't tell you how pleasant it is to have you, well, any of you back."

"Doctor!"

"Yes. And although I am slightly hurt that you did not communicate your immediate arrival to me when you came back on board, I have decided to overlook your manners and come in person. I know this may be a bit presumptuous of me but now that I have my mobile emitter I've decided that I am not going to wait until you and the rest of this crew deign to fill me in on important matters. I thought we had settled this…"

Chakotay grabbed him. "Doctor! Where are the others? Where is the crew?"

"The others? Why, they were captured and taken by the Kazon."

"Kazon? But we left their space weeks….almost a year ago."

"I saw them Commander with my own eyes. It was just as before. Exactly as it was before."

"Exactly?" Chakotay straightened as a realization dawned on him. "Q."

"Q? What does a letter of the alphabet have to do with this? Are you injured? Are you and the Captain hurt? I assume you were taken from the planet?"

"No, we weren't. There were no Kazon."

"But I saw them. Are you sure you're not ill?" The Doctor grabbed his med kit.

"No. They just weren't who you thought they were. Look, I'll explain later." He spied the medical kit and pulled the Doctor towards the room. "You need to examine Kathryn."

"Captain Janeway? Is she hurt?"

"No. She's…" Chakotay stopped and held his hand against the Doctor's chest. "Wait a minute. Prove to me you're the Doctor."

The Doctor waved the medical tricorder across Chakotay's face. "I'm not detecting any brain abnormalities that would indicate a distorted perception of reality."

"When you're in the shower what do you sing?"

"Shower? Commander, I am a holographic being. I do not require the physical maintenance that…"

Chakotay grabbed him by the shirt. "Singing. Song choice!"

The Doctor looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "Well, I've always been partial to 'You Are My Sunshine' in a pinch but there are also some wonderful operatic arias..."

Chakotay grinned and released him. Giving him a bear hug, he said, "It's good to have you back, Doctor."

"I never went anywhere." The Doctor waved the tricorder around again as Chakotay pulled him into the bedroom. "Remind me to do a full physical on you, Commander. Kes and I will…well, this is new." The Doctor waved the device over Kathryn's sleeping form. "Commander, the Captain is…"

Chakotay nodded. "I know."

The Doctor read his findings in detail and said, "Well, I suppose you do. Congratulations. When did this…"

"Look, Kathryn and I have been on the planet all this time. We didn't know what had happened to Voyager, you, the rest of the crew…"

"So you thought you were abandoned? Well, obviously you two found something to do with your spare time."

Chakotay grabbed the Doctor again. "Look, Kathryn and I were brought back here by the Q. A race of omnipotent beings who apparently orchestrated all of this. They want to take our child."

"Omnipotent? Q? Why would they want your child?"

"Listen, over my dead body are they going to take her but Kathryn and I can't get out of here and our computer access is restricted. Can you get into the database from sick bay?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. I've had to amuse myself for months with nothing but research. I've written thesis papers on medical topics that would make Starfleet Medical cry."

"Perfect. Go back and find everything you can on the Q. I know a little bit about a few encounters they had with a ship called Enterprise but I need to know any weakness, any thing or person or idea that makes them tick. Got it?"

"I think so."

"Good." He glanced down at Kathryn. "And Kathryn and the baby?"

"Perfectly fine. The child is developing well although all of you could do with a better variety in your diet. She should be on a prenatal regimen."

"Put her on one."

The Doctor slipped a vial into a hypospray and pressed it to Kathryn's neck. She stirred slightly before he pulled it away and said, "Done." He stood up and said, "I'll be back, Commander."

"That won't be necessary."

The two men looked back to the doorway to see Lady Q standing there. She smiled and said, "I'll tell you everything you need to know."


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who read and especially to those of you who reviewed this story. I got some of the loveliest notes ever and that definitely helped spur my writing along. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this last chapter. **

"How did you get in here?' the Doctor asked. "I didn't hear the door?"

"The Q don't use one," Chakotay answered. "You're back. Why?"

Lady Q smoothed her hair. "I was bored."

Chakotay stared at her. "Or you thought about what I said."

"Don't flatter yourself!" she snapped. "What you say or do is insignificant to me."

Chakotay folded his arms. "Oh really? You stop this ship. You force Kathryn and me together. You ensure we have a child that you now plan on kidnapping for your own purposes which is still not happening by the way."

Lady Q crossed her own arms. "And you still can't stop us from doing so. Besides, nothing on that planet looked like force to me. Both you and your little playmate looked to be enjoying each other immensely."

The Doctor had the decency to blush and step out of the way as Chakotay blew out his anger and frustration. "What do you want, Q?"

Lady Q walked over to the sofa and plopped herself down. "I told you. I'm bored."

Chakotay glanced at the Doctor before crossing over to her. "Okay, so let's talk. What do you want?"

Lady Q laughed. "Want? What I want I easily have or I am soon to get."

Chakotay sat down in the chair next to her. "Then let's talk about what I want. I want Kathryn and I want my child. I want my crew returned and I want you to leave and place us on back on course for the Alpha Quadrant. And I want your word that neither you nor any other Q will ever bother this ship again."

A smile spread across her face. "Now this I enjoy. An inferior being making demands of a Q. You're cute."

"It's the right thing to do. You have interfered and disrupted the lives of hundreds of people who have done nothing to you. And now you've proclaimed your intention to kidnap one of them, the most defenseless one, and take her away from her family and her home. That is unacceptable to us."

Lady Q cocked an eyebrow. "And I care why?"

"You tell me. That's the real reason you're here. What do you want, Q? I'll give you anything I can."

"You will give us your child when it's born."

Chakotay slowly shook his head. "No. That, I definitely will not do." He paused and added, "And I don't think you really want her anyway, do you?"

Lady Q stiffened and ran her hand across a pillow. "Q will take your child from you."

"But you won't. You'll stop him."

Lady Q's eyes met his. "Will I?"

"Yes, you will. Why does Q want our child anyway? What do you want from her? Maybe we can give you something else instead."

Lady Q chuckled and glanced over at the Doctor who was listening with rapt attention. "Tell me, Doctor, do these humans amuse you as much as they do me?"

"They do have their moments but what the Commander is saying is true. You can not take a human child away from her parents. It's uncivilized."

"Whoever said the Q were civilized?"

"You did," Chakotay answered. "You're the role models for the universe and to all of us. Is that not correct?"

"That's Q's party line. Not mine."

Chakotay drew closer to her. "Please. Please tell me what you want with my daughter. We might surprise you. Sometimes we lesser beings can solve problems for you with our more primitive thoughts and methods."

Lady Q threw her head back and held her stomach as she laughed. "You? Solve Q problems?"

"Is there a problem in the Continuum? Is the Q family not getting along? Do you really want me to hand over my daughter to live in some war torn place where the Qs are so desperate that they are willing to kidnap an innocent being to solve their own problems? You at least owe me an explanation."

"I owe you nothing. Who told you that?"

Chakotay grinned and sat back. "You just did. And I'll be sure to tell Q what a nice chat we had while you were bored."

She jumped up. "You'll do no such thing! I've said nothing!"

Chakotay looked up at the ceiling and yelled, "Q!"

"Stop it!"

Chakotay flew into her face. "Then you stop him! You help me keep my daughter and we'll talk."

A flash of light interrupted them as Q appeared. He looked between the two and said, "I'm hurt I wasn't invited to this little gathering earlier. What did I miss?"

"I'm ready to negotiate," Chakotay said.

"Negotiate? The Q don't negotiate. Our plan is already in place. When the child is delivered, he will become a Q."

The Doctor looked down at his tricorder and slipped away into the bedroom as Chakotay clenched his fists in anger. "And then what? I have a right to know what and who you're giving my child over to."

Q glanced at Lady Q who sat back down on the sofa. "What have you said?"

"She's told me nothing," Chakotay said. "So, you will. This is your plan anyway, right?"

Q grinned. "Yes, I am the master."

"Fine, master. What are you going to do with my child? If I am never going to know her, at least tell me you plan to love her and take care of her and that she'll be in a safe place. You owe me that much!"

Lady Q called Q over and said, "Assure the man that he won't have to worry about the child. It's positively ridiculous that we even need to discuss it. The child is ours, after all." She looked back at Chakotay. "Or soon will be."

The Doctor walked back into the room. "I'm afraid there is no child to give."

"What?" The three of them chorused together before rushing into the bedroom.

Chakotay found Kathryn lying in the bed still tucked in, just as he had left her. He checked her middle and there was the swell of his child. He let out his pent up breath and placed his hand against his chest to try and calm his racing heart. "Doctor, you just said there is no child but Kathryn is…"

"I'm sorry, Commander," the Doctor said softly. "They both appear to have…There was nothing I could do. It was too fast. They were both already gone."

Chakotay's mouth opened as he looked at Kathryn and felt her forehead. Her skin was cool and, as he glanced at her chest, he realized for the first time, that she wasn't breathing. "No, no, no." Chakotay pulled back the covers and saw her sheets bathed in blood. He tilted her head back and felt for a pulse on her neck but there was nothing. "No! No! This can't be! This isn't right!"

Frantically, he began rescue breathing for her as the Doctor calmly tried to explain that he had done all he could. Kathryn and the baby were gone. After several minutes, Chakotay let out a growl and whirled around to both Qs who stood watching the scene before them. He grabbed Q by the chest and said, "Bring her back! Bring them both back now, Q!"

"It's not possible," Q said. "This shouldn't have happened."

The Doctor stepped forward. "Her readings indicate that she hemorrhaged. Her placenta looks like it was separated from her body at some point and then reattached in an unnatural way. I don't understand how that happened. It took a while for her to bleed out but it was inevitable."

Chakotay's rage intensified as Q got a knowing look. "You did this! When you took that child from her body…you killed my daughter and you killed Kathryn. And now I'm going to kill you!"

Chakotay stepped away and brought his fist back to swing at him. Q reeled as the punch connected squarely against his cheek. Chakotay turned to Lady Q who put up her hand and said, "Raise one fist to me and I'll end you!"

"I don't care. Do it! I want to be with my family!"

"As you wish." Lady Q began to snap her fingers until Q stopped her.

"Commander!" the Doctor called out.

Q wiped a bit of blood from his face and said, "Obviously I need to brush up on this human anatomy and the dangers of assuming the fully corporal form. That hurt!"

"Well get ready for some more pain," Chakotay said. "You killed my family and I'm going to take you with me to hell."

With a flick of his wrist, Q tossed Chakotay over the bed where he landed hard on the floor. Turning to Lady Q, he said, "Well this is a problem. Where are we going to get a kid on such short notice? The Continuum can't wait. We need one now!"

"May I ask why you two don't create your own?" the Doctor said.

Q wrinkled his nose. "Qs mate? It's never been done."

"Obviously it has been done," the Doctor said. "Where did you two come from?"

"Why the Q have always existed…We don't…oh…now we've gone from talking to humans to talking to photons. I don't have time for this. I need a child. The Continuum will not survive without my son as its savior!"

"Then I suggest you get busy and make one," the Doctor said.

"Kathryn?" Chakotay knelt by the bed softly stroking Kathryn's hair. He touched her stomach. "You can have this one."

"Commander," the Doctor said. "I'm afraid there is no way…"

"They're Q. They can bring them back."

As the Qs exchanged glances, the Doctor walked over and knelt beside the commander. "Trust me, you don't want to do this."

Chakotay turned his tear stained face to the Doctor. "I have to. I can't live without her."

"We can't do it," Lady Q said.

"Why not?" Q asked.

"Because it messes with the timeline, Q. With the Continuum already up in arms, do you really want to risk eternal judgment and damnation over reviving this primitive woman and her child?"

"Well, if the child is my son…"

"She's not yours," Chakotay said. "She's mine. I love her and I always will."

"Eternal damnation, if you're wrong, Q" Lady Q mumbled. "And let's face it, you usually are."

Q huffed. "Then what are we supposed to do? We need a son."

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Might I suggest the Q become true trailblazers and supreme leaders and do something no one of your kind has ever done before? I can tell you from experience that outgrowing your programming is one of the greatest joys in existence."

"What are you babbling about?" Q said. "It's almost like talking to Data but not nearly as interesting."

The Doctor frowned. "I'll let that go and suggest that you and she get together. I could also suggest some nice mood music as well to help facilitate the process."

"Us?" Lady Q shook her head. "Never!"

"It could be fun," the Doctor answered. "Most species quite enjoy it."

Lady Q glared as Q took her arm and started to drag her into the other room. "Absolutely not! Never!"

As they disappeared, the Doctor knelt down again by Chakotay who was still stroking Kathryn's face. "Commander?"

"This can't be. You examined her right before they got here. How could you not have detected…"

The Doctor touched his arm. "Wait. But we don't have much time."

The Qs came back into the room. "Well, that was fun." A small male child blinked at them from Lady Q's arms. Chakotay and the Doctor's mouths dropped as Q added, "Well, aren't you going to congratulate me?"

"Well done, Q," the Doctor said slowly. "Well done, indeed."

"Yes, well, I am good, aren't I?"

Lady Q tickled the baby boy's chin and said, "Very good."

"Well, we're off," Q said. "So sorry for the inconvenience." He looked down at Kathryn and added, "And I really do wish there was something I could do about that. But, you're quite the human male. I'm sure you'll find another one in no time. Which reminds me..." Q snapped his fingers. "You have your crew back. Shall we, my dear?"

Lady Q nodded and, with a snap, they both disappeared from the ship.

The Doctor grabbed his medical kit. "I thought they'd never leave. We don't have much time to revive her."

"What did you do?"

"I told you I've had months to study the medical journals and computer databases. A medical journal on sedatives and a fascinating history of an old Earth tradition called Halloween caught my attention."

Chakotay smiled. "Nice work."

The Doctor adjusted his vial. He pressed the spray into Kathryn's neck and she stirred.

Chakotay put his lips to hers and kissed her. "Kathryn, come back to me. It's over. They're gone."

Kathryn's eyes fluttered open and her hands immediately went to her child. "My baby."

Chakotay placed his hands next to hers and together they felt small movements that gradually gave way to stronger kicks.

The Doctor waved his device over all of them and announced, "Mom, Dad, and baby girl all check out just fine."

"Baby girl?" Kathryn whispered.

The Doctor looked puzzled. "Yes, baby girl."

"We've always called her a she," Chakotay said. "But we had no way to know for sure."

"I knew it," Kathryn said. "I always knew."

Chakotay kissed her again as they heard the entryway door fly open. Tom and Harry rushed into the room, weapons drawn. Tuvok and a full security team followed close behind.

"Captain!" Tom immediately knelt down and stared at the red stained sheets. "Captain, what happened?"

"At ease, Lieutenant," the Doctor said. "It's all been taken care of."

Tom stared at the obvious child growing inside his captain and then slowly let his eyes make contact with hers.

Kathryn smiled. "It's a girl. Chakotay and I are having a baby girl."

Harry and Tom exchanged glances while Tuvok cleared his throat and said, "Captain?"

Chakotay stood up and said, "It's a long story. One I am sure you all have as well. Let's update our logs and we'll go from there at the staff meeting. 0800 hours tomorrow."

"That will be minus the Captain," the Doctor said. "She needs her rest."

Kathryn sat up and said, "Oh no. I've been away from this ship and my command for too long. I'll be there."

"But Captain," the Doctor protested.

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid, Doctor. We'll argue later."

Tom put his hand out to the Commander. "Congratulations."

Chakotay shook it and said, "Thanks!"

Tom swiped his chin and said, "Not to be out of line here but do you remember what day this happened? You see, we had a betting pool and I could use the rations…"

"Thomas Eugene Paris," the Captain said. "Get out of my quarters, now! I think you'll find you have a ship to fly home. We've lost a lot of time. Let's try and make some of it up."

"Yes, ma'am." Tom grabbed the Doctor on his way out. "We'll talk later."

After a few more instructions to Tuvok, Chakotay and Kathryn finally found themselves alone again. They kissed as Chakotay held her tight. "I never want to be separated from you again," he said.

"You never will. We have a child now. We're in each other's lives forever."

Chakotay kissed her forehead. "Sounds good to me except for one thing."

Kathryn's forehead wrinkled. "What?"

"Marry me."

She caught her breath. "What? What did you say?"

Chakotay slipped from the bed and got down on the floor on one knee. "Kathryn Elizabeth Janeway, will you marry me?"

Kathryn's eyes shone with tears only this time they were tears of joy. "Yes, Chakotay. Yes, I will marry you."

"Then, our world is perfect."

He stood up and pulled her to him. She rose up on her tiptoes to capture his lips and, after a few minutes, Chakotay pulled back and stripped the bed of the reddened sheets. Only the mattress remained and he looked down and smiled. "Just like old times."

He drew her down with him and they quickly came together once more. With their child kicking in earnest between them, they made love again and again sealing their promise to each other that they were now and forever, a family.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: For those of you that just had to see the baby born and asked for a bit more. Baby name credit goes to Murphycat who was my first request. Thank you all again for reading!**

The next few months flew by as Voyager got back on track and sped its way to the Alpha Quadrant. Time grew short for the command team as they now had the challenge of preparing for a little one.

After sitting on the floor surrounded by pieces of what was supposed to resemble baby furniture, Kathryn crawled to the wall and leaned against it. She patted her stomach and said, "You'll be fine in a drawer. I promise."

Her chime rang and she called, "Come."

Chakotay walked in and his smile quickly faded as he spied her and the mess.

"Why did you ring the chime?" she asked.

"I think I remember a replicator disaster closely resembling this scene."

Kathryn blew a bit of hair out of her face and said, "You're her father. You put it together."

He grinned and grabbed a tool and a rail. "And you are a Captain. Don't you have people for this?"

Kathryn shot him an annoyed look. "This is for our baby. I wanted it to be put together lovingly by her parents. Instead, she's getting my nightstand's top drawer."

Chakotay glanced into the bedroom and shook his head. "No she's not."

Kathryn struggled to pull herself up. "Then you better get busy, Commander. Because we don't have enough replicator rations left for the instructions."

Chakotay took a few minutes to try and piece together a few of the parts before dumping everything into a pile.

Kathryn laughed. "Told you so."

Chakotay dusted his hands and stood up. "It doesn't matter. We don't need it anyway."

Kathryn nodded. "I know. That drawer will do just fine."

"No, it won't. My child is not an inanimate object."

Kathryn grimaced and rubbed her belly. "You're telling me. Then what do you suggest? Neither one of us can figure this thing out."

"Wait."

Kathryn watched him exit the quarters and tried again to get up. Her back was killing her and she desperately wanted a hot bath and wanted it now. She was unsuccessful and slumped down to the floor. Knowing he had probably only gone across the hall into his former quarters, she called, "Chakotay!"

Kathryn and Chakotay were married shortly after the Qs left. Chakotay had created the perfect ceremony setting using Kathryn's childhood home and even had the computer design holographic images of her father, mother and sister so she'd always have that memory every bride should.

Tom gave Chakotay his own tribal themed bachelor party with his winnings from the betting pool and also outdid himself at the reception at Sandrine's. On their wedding night, Kathryn remarked to her new husband that it was the first time Voyager had felt like a true family and a real home even though they would never stop trying to reach the real thing.

The door flew open and Chakotay walked back in carrying a handmade cradle. Placing it on the floor in front of her, he said, "This is what our daughter will sleep in."

"Oh, Chakotay. It's beautiful. When did you…?"

"While you were on duty. It's the only time I know you won't come and find me. Nothing will make you leave that bridge. I half expect you to deliver there."

Kathryn ran her hand along the smooth intricate tribal carvings Chakotay had etched into the wood. She smiled as she saw the date of their wedding was engraved across the top over where their child's head would rest.

"I'll carve her name and the date of her birth too as soon as that happens."

Kathryn felt her daughter kick hard. She gasped and grabbed her stomach as it tightened until the contraction finally released her a few seconds later and she let out a long breath.

"Kathryn?"

She looked up and said, "I think your daughter has decided that day will be today."

Chakotay's eyes widened. "What? Now?"

Kathryn breathed heavily again through another short pain and put her hand to her forehead. "Yes, but, you know what, I have bridge duty so she'll have to wait." She struggled again to get up and finally gave her husband her hand. "A little help please. I'm going to be late."

Chakotay was too incredulous to speak as he helped her up to her feet.

"Thank you. Now where did I put my uniform?" she said.

He found his voice and yelled, "Kathryn!"

She smiled and asked innocently, "What? Babies take a long time to come. My mother said I took 14 hours. You know how much I can get done it that much time? Now move out of the way."

Chakotay watched her take a step before doubling over with pain. As she hissed, he said, "You know, I should really let you do it. Don't move!" Dashing into the bedroom, he grabbed the bag that he and Kathryn had packed weeks ago. "We're going to sickbay. Now."

Kathryn took a few deep breaths before saying, "Oh Chakotay, I don't think I need to go there right away. I told you…" Her voice faded.

Chakotay's face darkened as he gripped her tight. "You can walk there on your own or I can call for a site to site transport which I need to do in the next five seconds before I succumb to the heart attack you're giving me. And if I die before I see my daughter, I will take you with me. That's a promise, Kathryn. And not only will I take you with me, I will haunt you throughout the afterlife. And that will leave our poor daughter parentless and left to be raised by Tuvok and Paris. I guarantee she'll be in therapy with the Doctor and counting cards at the crew's poker games by the time she's two. So, what's it going to be? Your choice."

Another pain rippled through her and she grabbed his arms. "Sickbay, please."

"Good choice!"

Over the next several hours, Chakotay stayed by her side as she labored to bring their little girl into the world. Eventually, at 0300 hours the next morning, little Gaia Two Horses Janeway said hello to the parents she had been waiting to meet.

As his girls slept soundly, Chakotay kissed each one and said a silent prayer and a promise. That they would be loved, protected, and cherished by him, forever.


End file.
